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For the past five years, X Bar owner Steven Alix has looked for a spot to open a gay sports bar, and he finally found it, at the former home of Streets Denver. The rock bar, at 1501 East Colfax Avenue, closed last month after more than two decades in business.
Alix, who also co-owns the Squire Lounge a few blocks east on East Colfax Avenue with Sudy Kudva, opened the Tight End in the former punk venue on Monday, April 12.
“We’re really just focusing on the sports thing that’s been a missing niche in our community, and we’re ready to fill that,” Alix says. “It’s been received really well so far. It’s never been done [in Denver], as far as I know, and all the other major cities have gay sports bars. This one doesn’t, so it’s time.”
While the interior and the patios were remodeled, Tight End paid homage to Streets Denver by keeping the former club’s memorabilia, including the venue’s signs and posters.
“We’ll try to keep that memory alive a little bit, because it was such a long time,” Alix says. “We’re hopeful to be inclusive to the previous customers, and we tried to maintain some of the things from the past.”
Two projector screens have been installed, as have a number of TVs around the bar. With four channel options, Alix, who’s from Wisconsin and a big Green Bay Packers fan, says they’ll be able to play different sports, both local and beyond.
While it’s been tough running bars over the past year during the pandemic, Alix notes that X Bar, the gay-friendly hangout he opened ten years ago, is picking up momentum again, but the smaller clubs like Squire and Tight End might be a bit more challenging since they’re both roughly the same size and have smaller capacities because of COVID-19 regulations.
3 Guys Pies, the pizza joint that shared the building with Streets Denver, is still operating as usual and has the same hours as the bar — 3 p.m. to close, seven days a week. Tight End also offers daily happy hours, with $2 off any drink from 3 to 8 p.m.
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